2020-08-22: News Headlines

Yousef Alhelou (2020-08-21). Israel's Blockade of 2 Million Palestinians in Gaza is making it Uninhabitable. zcomm.org Gantz, Netanyahu and others know for sure that Gazans have nothing to lose as life is unbearable under the ongoing 14-year siege, while peace on Israeli terms is a mirage…

Rob Urie (2020-08-21). The Day After Election Day. counterpunch.org The view passed down from on high in the U.S. is that elections are the effective and legitimate means of collective decision-making in the realm of the political. Conversely, on matters of war and peace, economic distribution, environmental wellbeing, healthcare, education, housing, and social welfare— the areas where collective outcomes matter, these are either considered

A Guest Author (2020-08-21). Long live the memory of Ka Randy! workers.org By the Communist Party of the Philippines Workers World is reprinting the following statement from the Communist Party of the Phillipines that condemns the murder of Randall Echanis on Aug. 10. Since the 2016 presidential election in the Philippines, Rodrigo Duterte has carried out numerous assassinations of peace activists and . . . |

_____ (2020-08-21). Chinese Peacekeepers Provide Aid After Explosion In Beirut. popularresistance.org Chinese peacekeepers will provide medical aid to Beirut following the deadly explosion on Tuesday | that killed at least 135 people and injured 5,000 others. | Upon the request of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), the 18th batch of Chinese peacekeeping troops to Lebanon organised an emergency team of nine medical personnel from fields including surgery, internal medicine, burns and anaesthesiology, state news agency Xinhua reported on Wednesday. | The personnel and vehicles would head to Beirut, carrying medical supplies and protective equipment, the medical unit said.

Ricardo Vaz (2020-08-21). US to Tighten Venezuela Sanctions after Gasoline Seizure. globalresearch.ca The Trump administration is reportedly considering ending all Venezuela oil sanctions exemptions in October. | "Whatever oil business is left has to be completed (by the deadline)," an anonymous source told …

RT (2020-08-20). Arms in the air? UAE-Israel peace deal kickstarts long-stalled F-35 purchase from Washington. rt.com The UAE-Israeli peace deal could sprout into a lucrative arms contract, as the UAE's foreign minister said it had removed the obstacles for purchasing F-35 fighters from the US. Washington said such a deal is already under review. | Formal normalization of ties with Tel Aviv should remove "any hurdle" in the path of the potential new arms deal with the US, the UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash said Thursday. | "We have legitimate requests … We ought to get them … the whole idea of a state of belligerency or war with Israel no longer exists," Gargash told the NATO-sponsored pro-war Atl…

RT (2020-08-20). US imposes sanctions on Syrian military commanders & officials 'for their efforts to prevent a ceasefire'. rt.com Washington has announced sanctions on senior Syrian government officials and the leaders of several military units, with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo accusing top National Defense Forces members of subverting a ceasefire. | In a statement on Thursday, the US State Department said it was imposing sanctions on the leadership of a number of Syrian military units, including National Defense Forces commander Fadi Saqr. | The US and its allies are "united in continuing to apply pressure" on the Syrian president and his government "until there is a peaceful, political solution to the conflict," Pompeo said in th…

RT (2020-08-20). 'No apologies whatsoever!' Chicago mayor defends ban on protests in HER neighborhood, vows to do anything to protect home & family. rt.com Progressive Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot has insisted that a ban on demonstrations in her neighborhood is necessary to ward off any threats to her family, despite vocal support for citizens' right to peacefully protest elsewhere. | The Chicago Police Department has ordered officers to bar protesters from Lightfoot's Logan Square neighborhood and arrest any who refuse to leave, the Chicago Tribune

Eds. (2020-08-20). Venezuela: The real enemy. mronline.org We became an unusual and extraordinary threat to U.S. imperialism in 1999. From that moment on, our enemy declared war, not a conventional war, but war nonetheless.

yenisafak (2020-08-20). Taliban rebuke US charges on ties with al-Qaeda. yenisafak.com The Taliban in Afghanistan Thursday "strongly rejected" a US Defense Department report about their alleged cooperation with al-Qaeda."Our Mujahideen [Taliban insurgents] are strong enough to combat the enemy and are not in need of support from any foreign side or organization," said Zabihullah Mujahed, the group's spokesman, two days after the release of a Department of Defense Inspector General quarterly report on Operation Freedom Sentinel in Afghanistan.He added that such "provocative" reports only serve to make Afghans even more skeptical about US intentions for peace. | On the Doha pact with the US signed th…

Manuela Sole (2020-08-20). Venezuela Welcomes Turkish FM, Signs New Round of Agreements. venezuelanalysis.com Turkey agreed to build a new hospital in Venezuela on the 70th anniversary of diplomatic relations.

_____ (2020-08-20). Washington's Gift to President Putin. strategic-culture.org Russia is often portrayed as resisting international norms and rejecting honest olive branches from the West. But Russia has made many attempts at peace and partnership only to be rejected. Watch the video and read more in the

Robert C. Koehler (2020-08-20). War, Peace and the Democrats. commondreams.org "What was missing—from the national convention, from the halls of Congress, from the party as a whole—was any official stance against war. By which I mean, today's wars," writes Koehler. (Screenshot/ Democratic National Convention – August 17, 2020) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/peacednc.png

Andrew Korybko (2020-08-19). The Fake News About Iran & the Taliban Aims to Achieve Three Strategic Objectives. globalresearch.ca The CNN report earlier this week alleging that Iran paid bounties to the Taliban to kill US troops aims to reinforce the narrative that Tehran supports "terrorists", portray the country as an obstacle to peace in Afghanistan, and lastly prompt …

Joyce Chediac (2020-08-19). UAE- Israel 'peace' deal is a dagger aimed at Palestinians. liberationnews.org By Joyce Chediac On Aug 13, Israel and the United Arab Emirates agreed to end decades of hostility and normalize relations. The agreement was brokered by, and announced by President Trump, who called it, "a significant step towards building a more peaceful, secure and prosperous Middle East." Nothing could be further from the truth. This …

South Front (2020-08-19). Video: Rain of Rockets Hits US Forces in Iraq. Israeli-UAE Peace Deal Crumbles Days after Its Announcement. globalresearch.ca As it was expected, the 'historic' UAE-Israeli peace deal did not contribute to the stability in the Middle East. Instead, the situation has been slowly, but steadily moving towards a larger confrontation in the region. | Immediately after the announcement of …

teleSUR (2020-08-19). Venezuela Honors Cuban Doctors for Their Fight Against COVID-19. telesurenglish.net Venezuela's Vice-President Delcy Rodriguez Tuesday decorated Cuban doctors for their cooperation in the fight against COVID-19. | RELATED: | Rodriguez presented the Francisco de Miranda Order to the doctors in recognition of the work they do for the benefit of Venezuelans. | She indicated that over 22,000 members of the Henry Reeve Brigade are deployed in her nation, which has saved thousands of lives over…

WSWS (2020-08-19). In act of high seas piracy, US hijacks Iranian oil bound for Venezuela. wsws.org The oil seizure came as Washington failed to secure support at the United Nations Security Council for a resolution extending an arms embargo against Tehran.

Mehr News Agency (2020-08-19). Zarif, Atmar discuss Afghan peace talks on phone. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Aug. 19 (MNA) — In a telephone conversation, Iranian FM Zarif and the Caretaker of the Afghan Foreign Ministry Mohammad Hanif Atmar conferred on Afghan peace talks.

_____ (2020-08-19). Open Letter To The Protesters In Belarus. popularresistance.org What you can expect in Belarus after a more or less ‚Äûpeaceful revolution", you can certainly study in detail in almost all other countries in Eastern Europe. Get information about the liquidation of state enterprises, mass layoffs, collapse of collective farms and farms, mass exodus from the countryside and the death of villages in Ukraine, Moldova, Romania, Poland … Compare the disintegration of the social infrastructure of Daycare centers, hospitals, old people's homes and the consequences for life expectancy, alcoholism and neglect …

sputniknews (2020-08-19). 'There Will Be Peace': Trump Predicts Saudi Arabia, Iran Will Join UAE-Israel Deal. sputniknews.com US President Donald Trump told reporters Wednesday he believes Saudi Arabia will be the next country to join the recent peace deal between Israel and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). He said once enough nations join, so will Iran, and "there will be peace."

Jessica Corbett, staff writer (2020-08-19). Greenpeace Gives Democratic Platform C+ on Climate, Calling for 'Action at the Scale That Science and Justice Demand'. commondreams.org Greenpeace USA announced Wednesday that the platform which Democrats are set to adopt this week earns only a C+ rating based on the scorecard process the group previously used to rank the climate policies of what was once a large field of the party's 2020 presidential primary candidates. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/screen_shot_2019-06-12_at_10.47.01_am.png

commondreams (2020-08-19). Greenpeace Gives Democratic Party Climate Platform a 'C+' on Climate. commondreams.org ______________________________…

RT (2020-08-18). Democratic Convention rides on BLM momentum, putting George Floyd family front & center in moment of silence. rt.com On the first night of its national convention, the Democratic Party has sought to cash in on months of raging protests over police brutality to sell 2020 nominee Joe Biden, trotting out George Floyd's relatives at the event. | "George had a giving spirit, a spirit that has shown up on streets around our nation and around the world. People of all races, all ages, all genders, all backgrounds, peacefully protesting in the name of love and unity," said Philonise Floyd, the brother of the man slain by Minneapolis police in May, bringing in a moment of silence to honor the memory of "the many other souls we lost to…

Mehr News Agency (2020-08-18). Oil tankers seized by US 'not Iranian'. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Aug. 18 (MNA) — Iranian oil minister Bijan Namdar Zanganeh said on Tuesday that the four oil tankers seized by the US few days ago belong to Venezuela not Iran.